The Pittsburgh Steelers have made significant improvements across the roster this offseason, but one position group continues to raise eyebrows heading into the 2026 season. Despite heavy financial investment and high expectations, the inside linebacker room remains the most concerning unit on this entire football team, and the questions surrounding it are not going away anytime soon.
Ian Walton / Associated Press
Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson warm up before a game for the Steelers against the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland.
At the center of the conversation is Patrick Queen, who is entering the final year of a three year, $41 million deal he signed ahead of the 2024 season. When Pittsburgh handed Queen that contract, the expectation was that he would anchor the middle of this defense for years to come. Instead, his two seasons in Pittsburgh have been defined by inconsistency, missed tackles, and moments that have left fans and analysts alike wondering whether the investment was ever going to pay off. Queen led the entire NFL in missed tackles last season with 32, a staggering number for a player being compensated at that level. As SteelerNation previously covered, Queen has been leaning on a former teammate to help him get up to speed in the new defensive system under new coordinator Patrick Graham -- which at least signals a desire to improve heading into what is essentially a make or break year for his future in Pittsburgh.
The concerns do not stop with Queen, however. Payton Wilson showed flashes of promise during the 2025 season, generating some timely turnovers and making plays in space, but he struggled to hold up against the run early in the year and forced the coaching staff to adjust their approach as a result. Malik Harrison fills a specific role as a downhill third option and does it well enough, but he is not a player who is going to elevate this group or change the conversation about it. Then there is Cole Holcomb, who is still working his way back from a serious injury and is nowhere near the player he was before getting hurt. The hope is that he continues to progress, but banking on a full recovery at this stage of his career carries real risk.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers reporter Ray Fittipaldo appeared on 93.7 The Fan recently and was asked directly whether the inside linebacker position is the weakest link on this football team. He did not hesitate.
"It kind of sounds weird to say because Patrick Queen is making like $17 million a year, but there's always something that seems to go awry. There are probably more question marks there than any other position on defense," Fittipaldo explained.
The timing of these concerns could not be more significant. The Steelers are entering 2026 with genuine Super Bowl aspirations under new head coach Mike McCarthy, and a shaky inside linebacker group is exactly the kind of weakness that contending teams get exposed for in January.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Patrick Queen celebrates with Payton Wilson during a win over the Miami Dolphins at home during the 2025 season.
When you stack this unit up against the rest of the defense, which is anchored by TJ Watt, Cam Heyward, and one of the most dominant edge rushing groups in the entire NFL, the contrast is impossible to ignore. Opposing offenses will find the middle of this defense and attack it early and often if the same issues from last season carry over into 2026.
Steelers Are Hopeful New Coaching Staff Will Be The Cure
The silver lining is that new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has a reputation for getting the most out of his linebackers. He demands communication, discipline, and accountability, and Queen has shown a willingness to buy into the new system during the offseason program. This is a contract year for Queen, and that alone should light a fire under him. If he can return to the form that made him a Second Team All-Pro with the Baltimore Ravens, this defense takes a massive step forward. However, if the missed tackles and blown assignments continue, the Steelers will find themselves asking the same questions about this position group that they have been asking for two straight seasons now.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Payton Wilson takes part in practice for the Steelers during the 2026 offseason.
Training camp in Latrobe, PA will be the first real test of whether anything has changed at inside linebacker. The pads come on, the competition ramps up, and the film does not lie. Queen and his teammates know what is at stake. The Steelers have built something special around them, and it would be a shame to let the middle of the defense be the reason this team falls short of its goals in 2026.
What do you think about the Steelers' inside linebacker situation heading into the season? Follow us for more news!
#SteelersNation